Sustainable Dundee planned and delivered a city-wide programme of events to celebrate COP26 in Dundee and raise awareness of climate action.
Sustainable Dundee
Go To WebsiteAddressed Challenges:
- Biodiversity loss
- Carbon emissions
- Waste
Action Areas:
- Energy
- Circular Economy
- Transport
Initiative Purpose:
Mitigation & Adaptation
The Story
Sustainable Dundee is a partnership that brings together individuals, communities and organisations across Dundee to tackle the climate emergency. Dundee City Council along with 20 stakeholders planned and delivered a programme of events to demonstrate, inspire and encourage climate action and behaviour change across the city. Working together we coordinated COP26 events across the city to maximise the impact from COP26 in Glasgow, avoid duplication and ensure widespread promotion of events.
Success & Outcomes
To launch, we developed “HubFest” creating a buzz around the city and connecting with the launch of Dundee’s Active Travel Hub The events programme then included the Zero Carbon Tour, hosted in partnership with PlanetMark and the Dundee Science Centre. The Dundee Eco Schools Conference, which was held online and attended by over 700 pupils from 17 schools across Dundee. It included workshops on Eco Schools action planning, litter and waste, and energy, hosted by partner organisations Keep Scotland Beautiful, Scrap Antics and Bright Green Hydrogen. The Festival of the Future COP26 Series was hosted by the University of Dundee throughout October. Dundee Rep hosted a PechaKucha Night with a climate theme. And Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc hosted a Demonstrator and Showcase Event, which showcased innovative projects and technology within the Sustainable Mobility and Decarbonisation sectors.
In addition to the city wide events, Dundee City Council Senior Management are receiving mandatory Carbon Literacy Training delivered in partnership with the Carbon Literacy Project and Keep Scotland Beautiful, equipping them to adjust plans to reach the net-zero target and encouraging change on a personal level. All staff training modules have been rolled out and Sustainable Dundee developed presentations educating staff about COP26 and featuring Climate Leaders sharing stories of change throughout the programme.
Advice for others looking to do something similar
Despite barriers to collaboration due to the pandemic, Sustainable Dundee was able to bring together 21 stakeholders through virtual collaboration to plan and deliver a successful programme of events for the city. By working with a variety of partners from different backgrounds and sectors, we were able to put on a breadth of events that attracted vast amounts of positive feedback from staff, schools, communities and partner organisations.
Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved and the success of the events, a legacy will continue post COP26 through future events and collaboration.
